


Moonlight Feels Right

by praesaepe



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, M/M, Merman McCree, Pre-Slash, Trans Jesse McCree, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-01
Updated: 2017-12-01
Packaged: 2019-02-08 22:59:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12874863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/praesaepe/pseuds/praesaepe
Summary: It was small cove, hidden from the surroundings by tall outcroppings such as the one he had ventured through. The water was crystal clear, and the way the rocks cast shadows against the sand at the bottom of the pool was as beautiful as it was haunting.





	Moonlight Feels Right

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING: Description of a character falling in water and panicking/nearly drowning so if that's a trigger be careful!!! Starts at "... tumbling forward into the water with a huge splash," and ends at "'Are you ok?'"
> 
> Title from [Moonlight Feels Right](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYnQsvtfEsQ) by Starbuck.
> 
> Wrote this as a little application for the [Tales of Two Dragons](https://talesoftwodragons.tumblr.com/) zine because I didn't want to use either of the other two Overwatch fics I have to apply, and also I've been wanting to do a little writing for a Mer AU for a while. I was without a doubt referencing [valgeristik's MerCree design](http://valgeristik.tumblr.com/post/167076502266/revisited-the-mer-au-wanted-to-draw-out-his) when I was describing Jesse, so check that out and give them a reblog!!!! Their art is blessed art.  
> Beta read by [astrotheology](http://astrotheology.tumblr.com/), aka the light of my life and best beta reader ever.  
> If you're reading my WIP [Scales and Vectors](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11218329/chapters/25064082) I promise I'm not dead!!! Life and school has just gotten in the way. If you're not reading it, check it out ;) It's a Hanzo/noodle dragon-ccentric mchanzo plotfic with lots of brotherly healing.

The noises of the party were muffled from this distance, and only got quieter as Hanzo descended further into the cave and the sound of the ocean became louder. He’d had his fun, no doubt, but he didn’t have the endless stamina that Genji seemed to for this sort of revelry. His journey had started as a short walk along the beach, away from the firelight and music and drinking, but his curiosity had been piqued when he saw the entrance to a sea cave hidden from the firelight by an outcropping of rock. Now he was wandering further and further from the party with only his phone flashlight and a faint bit of moonlight lighting his way.

He was surprised he hadn’t run into anyone else. This was a prime location for couples to sneak off to, but it was quiet. Empty. Better for him, he supposed, if his goal was to get away. The bass of the music finally faded, leaving him with only the crunching of rocks beneath his feet and the growing light ahead. The exit was only a few yards in front of him. He turned off his flashlight, the near-full moon able to light the rest of the way.

It was small cove, hidden from the surroundings by tall outcroppings such as the one he had ventured through. The water was crystal clear, and the way the rocks cast shadows against the sand at the bottom of the pool was as beautiful as it was haunting. Hanzo stepped onto one of overhanging rocks and slipped off his shoes and socks, setting them and his phone beside him as he sat down and let his toes dip into the water. The surface of the water rippled as they broke the surface, sending out little waves that lapped at the edges of the pool. Hanzo shivered; the water was cold, especially at this time of night, and there was something indescribably ethereal about his surroundings.

The peace remained for what felt like only a few short moments, where Hanzo watched the shimmer of the water and slight swaying of the plants in the current. He was startled out of his reverie when a large shape darted through the water below him and beneath another overhanging rock. Hanzo immediately pulled his feet up and scrambled back from the edge. His mind raced, trying to figure out what it was - a shark, maybe? Some large fish? - when it sped along the bottom of the pool again, towards another overhang. That was definitely no fish. The upper half seemed almost… human, two long, arm-like objects pinned against the sides of the body as its tail undulated, pushing it forward. He crept closer to the edge, trying to peer under the overhang and get a better view of it. The rock was smooth beneath his bare, wet feet, and all it took was one misstep near the edge to send him tumbling forward into the water with a huge splash.

He thrashed, trying to right himself and get to the surface so he could get out. His eyes opened almost reflexively, the salt of the water causing them to sting painfully. Large bubbles escaped from his lips, floating past him, but he was too disoriented to see what direction they were going, what direction the surface was. Panic seized his heart, and he began kicking harder, wearing himself out faster, blackness licking at the edges of his vision - and then something grabbed him with strong hands and pushed him towards the surface. He breached with a huge gasp, hair plastering itself to the sides of his face. It had fallen out of his hair tie at some point, and now it obscured his vision. He scrambled towards the nearest outcropping of rock and grabbed at it weakly, but he was too weak to do more than hold on and gasp for air. The dark shape was just below him in the water, and he pulled his legs away as it turned upwards and began moving towards the surface. It broke through just a couple of feet away, and Hanzo could feel his heart begin to beat rapidly again as it turned towards him.

“Are you ok?” It took Hanzo a moment realize that it was speaking to him; it took another for him to realize what language. English. He knew that. He could respond. He opened his mouth, and no words came out. It cocked its head to the side. “Are you ok? You took a real bad tumble into the water, and I just wanna make sure you’re not hurt or anything.” The creature’s voice was deep, rough, and tinged with what Hanzo could only describe as a southern accent. It edged slightly closer towards him and reached out; Hanzo flinched away, causing it to frown before it seemed to have a sudden realization. “I didn’t properly introduce myself, I’m sorry! The name’s Jesse, Jesse McCree. Nice to meet you.” Jesse smiled widely at him, revealing a row of frighteningly sharp teeth.

Hanzo tried to reply again, but was suddenly wracked with wet coughs as his body tried to force the last of the water out of his system. Jesse’s smile dropped and he grabbed Hanzo’s arm. Hanzo shook it off and backed away with an apologizing grimace. “I’m sorry, let me just-” he coughed a few more times before taking a huge breath. “Hanzo Shimada. Not to be rude, but what  _ are _ you?” 

Jesse let out a guffaw after moment. “Is that what scared you so bad? I’m sorry, I’ve never met a human so frightened by seeing a merman that they fell straight in the water and nearly drowned themselves,” he said, clutching his sides.

Hanzo frowned and glared at him. “Excuse me if I’m scared of a huge, dark shape swimming around my feet in the middle of the night. I’ve seen  _ Jaws _ before,” he stated matter-of-factly. Jesse gave him a look of confusion. “It’s a movie.” Jesse’s facial expression didn’t change. “Moving pictures? You watch them, usually for fun?” Jesse didn’t seem to understand in the least, and Hanzo was taking another deep breath to center himself when Jesse started laughing again.

“I know what a movie is, Hanzo. You ain’t the first human I’ve ever talked to, that’s for sure. I was friends with a fisherman, went by the name Gabe. He showed me  _ Jaws _ once because he thought it would be funny. It wasn’t really - I don’t know where humans get their shark information, but that’s definitely not how they act. They can be a little bitey but they’re damn near sweet if you give ‘em a fish or two,” Jesse explained. “Besides, sharks don’t even get this close to the beach often. Too many people.” He wrinkled his nose as if he agreed.

“I don’t blame them,” Hanzo said gruffly. “You hit a limit after a while.”

“Oh, am I interrupting your quiet time, then?” Jesse said. He leaned against the side of the pool and looked up, continuing to speak before Hanzo could reply. “I was just coming to look at the moon, honestly. The open ocean is nice, but there’s something about being able to lie on the bottom of the shallows and look up. It’s usually pretty quiet in here, too.” Hanzo look at Jesse in profile now, taking the time to give him a full once-over as he spoke. His upper half seemed mostly human, barring the orange fins behind Jesse’s ears. Orange scales dotted a few places on his neck and arms, but didn’t really start showing up in earnest until just below the merman’s stomach. There the skin disappeared, replaced with a smooth expanse of orange and white. There was a set of larger upper fins near his hips and a couple of small ones near the end of the tail. The largest fin was there at the end; it seemed to be half the length of the tail itself, if not more, and with the way Jesse was leaning back, some of it was poking out of the water and shining wetly in the night air. Hanzo brought his eyes back up from the tail and noted that the hand resting on Jesse’s stomach had webbing between the fingers, and the fingernails were less nails and more claws. It took a second to realize that there was only one hand because Jesse’s left arm ended just above the elbow. The end of the arm was scarred, far different from the small scars under Jesse’s pectorals.

When Hanzo’s eyes drifted back up to Jesse’s face, the merman had turned to look towards him with a raised eyebrow. “You done?” Hanzo replied by raising an eyebrow of his own defiantly.

“Merman, then?” he said.

“Yep.”

“You don’t seem to have any qualms about me having seen you.”

“Yep.”

“If merpeople care so little, why are they not commonly acknowledged as real?”

“It’s not that we don’t care, it’s just that I know a trustworthy face when I see one. Besides,” Jesse grinned, revealing his sharp teeth again, “you owe me one, remember? I just kept you from drowning.”

Hanzo nodded. “Fair.” He frowned in realization. “I’m soaking wet. It’s going to be extremely uncomfortable when I get out of the water.”

Jesse rolled his eyes. “It’s always the clothes with you humans. ‘Oh no, my clothes are wet,’ ‘Damnit Jesse, why’d you splash me and get me all wet,’ that sort of thing. If they’re such a hassle, why bother wearing them? Or why not just wear those swim clothes all the time?”

“We tend to value our dry land just as much as our privacy.”

“Fair.” Jesse looked back up at the moon. Hanzo followed his gaze, spending a few second watching it as well, before turning and beginning the climb out of the pool. He had been right, and the weight of his wet clothes  _ was _ extremely uncomfortable. He let out a growl of disgust. He couldn’t go back to the party like this. After a moment of consideration, he struggled out of his shirt and pants, laying them out on a nearby rock before sitting on the overhang next to Jesse in just his boxers. The merman glanced at him and grinned before flicking his tail up and splashing Hanzo with a wave of water, leaving him sputtering.

“Was that necessary?” he spat, shaking some water free from his hair.

“Oh, absolutely,” Jesse drawled. Hanzo let out an annoyed sigh, but said nothing. They sat in silence for a little while as Hanzo waited with the unrealistic hope that his clothes would dry some before he headed back to the party.

“Do you live around here?” Hanzo jumped as Jesse broke the silence.

“Yes. I don’t visit the beach much, but my brother and I moved here recently. Family matters,” he said with a grimace.

“Family matters?” Jesse gave him a curious look.  
“Mostly getting away from them,” Hanzo admitted. “We’ve been trying to settle in. My brother brought me here with some of his new friends so I could make some friends of my own, but you likely can see how well that ended up going.” He sighed.

“I’d say it went pretty well. You found me,” Jesse smiled. Hanzo blinked, then smiled.

“I guess I did,” Hanzo said. “Even if you  _ are _ a strange fish man.” Jesse wrinkled his nose as Hanzo laughed and used his tail to splash him again. Hanzo wiped the water from his eyes and looked at his phone.

“ _ Chikushō! _ ” he swore and stood up, struggling into his wet clothes. “I have to go. Genji has already called me twice.”

Jesse nodded. “You’ll visit?” he asked hopefully. Hanzo smiled as he slipped on his shoes.

“Certainly.”


End file.
